Seth Moulton

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee). (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I have no further speakers, and so I urge adoption of the en bloc amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I would like to speak about a bipartisan amendment that passed the full Committee on Armed Services, and also had to go through the Foreign Affairs Committee to be approved. It calls on the administration to report to Congress on a comprehensive political and military strategy for our fight against ISIS in the Middle East. Mr. Chairman, we are sending troops back into Iraq today, just 7 or 8 years after we pulled the last troops out. Many of the battles they are fighting have familiar names--Fallujah, Ramadi, and Haditha--battles that we fought and won a long time ago. But we did not have a strategy to ensure the peace. Mr. Clausewitz taught us about 200 years ago that war is an extension of politics. We have to have a political endgame for our fight in Iraq, or we will find ourselves continually going back there again and again. When Iraqi politics fail, a new terrorist group sweeps in; and American troops are left to pick up the mess. If you think about what happened when ISIS swept in from Syria and entered western, then northern Iraq, the Iraqi army wasn't just defeated by ISIS. The Iraqi Army put their weapons down and went home because they had lost faith in the Iraqi Government. We must have a long-term, comprehensive political and military strategy. We owe it to the troops to ensure that their efforts will not be in vain. I am proud of the bipartisan support for this amendment, both on the Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I am especially proud that the chairman worked with me to get it adopted. I am glad that it is included in the bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on important provisions contained within the National Defense Authorization Act. I have said many times that too little attention has been given to a long-term political strategy in our fight against ISIL. That is why I worked with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to include an amendment now contained in the bill that requires the administration to develop an integrated political and military strategy to defeat ISIS. Without this strategy, we risk repeating mistakes of the past. We largely defeated al Qaeda in Iraq militarily in 2009 but failed to follow through on the root causes and ensure the success of Iraqi politics going forward. It created a political vacuum that ISIS grew into. We cannot afford to make that mistake again. Second, we should all be able to agree that our military personnel and veterans deserve the best health care in the world. That is why I am proud to report the bill also contains provisions I worked on with several Members to address the increased rates of suicide in our military. Since 2012, suicide has been the leading cause of death in our military. In the past 3 years alone, the suicide rate has been nearly 50 percent greater than in the civilian population. The Department of Defense needs to take an aggressive approach in solving this crisis. My amendment included in the bill would identify trends and instances of suicides and require better proactive and reactive mental health care for active personnel. Finally, I want to call attention to the urgent need to continue the Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghans who worked for U.S. forces. A bipartisan amendment before the Committee on Rules now would remove the unfortunate narrowing of eligibility requirements included in the mark, which would prevent hundreds of Afghans whose lives are at risk because of their work for our country from even being considered for resettlement in the United States. The narrowing of eligibility intentionally excludes hundreds of Afghans who worked for the U.S. State Department, USAID, and U.S. security contractors in a number of capacities, many of whom face well-documented death threats due to their work with our government, regardless of whether that was with frontline troops or on an American base. By narrowing eligibility, the program would erode the expectations of hundreds of Afghan staff whose lives remain in danger because of their work for the U.S. mission and also make it more difficult to hire and retain qualified Afghan staff who are essential to achieving our diplomatic and assistance goals. For that risk and sacrifice, the very least we can do is offer them a chance to stay alive, to keep living, rather than abandoning them to the same enemies they united with us to destroy.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, the addiction epidemic has touched every community and demographic in America, but our veterans have been hit particularly hard. Veterans suffer from chronic pain at a higher rate than the civilian population, often due to injuries they sustained during their service. This puts our veterans at high risk of developing addiction and presents unique challenges as they search for ways to cope with the pain caused by the wounds of war. The results of veteran addiction are tragic. Approximately 68,000 veterans struggle with opioid use. Veterans are also almost twice as likely to die from accidental opioid overdoses than nonveterans. We need to do more to ensure that we are not losing veterans to the disease of addiction, while also ensuring that they get the absolute best care possible when they return home. That is why it is imperative that the veteran community has a seat at the table as we begin the process of reviewing and updating our pain management best practices. By adding a representative of a veterans service organization to the interagency task force created by this bill, my amendment will ensure that the unique challenges our veterans face are part of the conversation. In closing, I would like to thank my colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz), for their bipartisan cosponsorship and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Boston Scientific for their support of this amendment. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and was absent for roll call vote No. 165 on H.R. 4096 that took place on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, due to my participation in the President's historic trip to Cuba, I missed votes on Monday, March 21, 2016 and Tuesday, March 22, 2016. On Monday, March 21, 2016 I missed the vote on H.R. 4314-- Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016, as amended. I would have voted Aye. On Tuesday, March 22, 2016 I missed the following five votes. I would have voted Nay on the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2745. I would have voted Nay on H. Res. 653--Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2745--Standard Merger and Acquisitions Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015. I would have voted Aye on H.R. 4742--Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act. I would have voted Aye on H.R. 4755--Inspiring the Next Space Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act. I would have voted Aye on H.R. 4336--Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment Restoration Act, as amended.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, due to unavoidable circumstances, I missed two Roll Call votes yesterday, February 2, 2016. Had I been present, I would have voted nay on the Palazzo Amendment (Roll Call vote 50), and yea on the Al Green of Texas Amendment (Roll Call vote 51).

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, at a time when employment rates for many student veterans continue to lag behind those of their civilian peers, I rise today to commend Northeastern University for launching a new center aimed at tackling this urgent challenge head on. Northeastern's new Center for the Advancement of Veterans and Service Members--or ``CAVS'' for short--offers a wealth of services and benefits to returned service members, including mentorship opportunities and assistance with the transition from military to civilian life. Student veterans at Northeastern benefit from the university's renowned experiential learning infrastructure through specialized cooperative education placements within a global network of 3,000 employers. And with CAVS now coming online, these students can also access tailored experiential learning programs and career resources that leverage their unique individual competencies and prior military experience. Mr. Speaker, despite a slowly improving unemployment rate, veterans nationwide consistently face greater barriers to employment than non- veterans. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, half of all veterans in the United States will face a period of unemployment after transitioning from military service--particularly younger veterans, with those aged 18-24 facing an unemployment rate double that of civilian peers. In a report by Prudential prepared in conjunction with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, 69 percent of veterans list finding a job as a civilian as their greatest challenge after service. That's why I am so pleased to see that Northeastern's new center expands the university's focus on student veteran employability by focusing on the education and career advancement of returning service members. It's clear that Northeastern recognizes the contributions and sacrifices of service members and is committed to providing student veterans with an experiential education that allows them to leverage their unique leadership skills for their future careers. Mr. Speaker, this work is not new for Northeastern. In fact, the university has a proud, 100-year legacy of educating veterans and service members. Today, Northeastern ranks among the top 10 private, non-profit, research universities for attracting post-9/11 G.I. Bill recipients. And the university also signed a first-of-its-kind agreement earlier this year to offer accelerated master's degrees in homeland security to members of the National Guard. Northeastern is building on its strong track record of educating and preparing student veterans for the future: Northeastern's student veteran graduation rate is 82.6 percent, well above the national average of 51 percent. Through its Institute for Military Leadership in the Workforce, Northeastern's new veterans center will serve all aspects of veterans' integration into academia and will link students to strategic partners in the private sector. Based in Boston, the center's reach and impact will extend worldwide to veterans within Northeastern's Global Network. Mr. Speaker, today there are some 600 student veterans and active duty personnel currently receiving benefits and support at Northeastern, a population that is expected to continue to grow in the wake of the opening of the center. The university's commitment to veterans now totals some $4 million, including its assistance through the federal Yellow Ribbon Program, the support and operation of the new center, and the establishment of a new scholarship program to aid veterans with costs not otherwise provided for through the government's benefits. Additionally, Northeastern has more than 90 ongoing research projects funded by the Department of Defense, two Centers of Excellence funded by the Department of Homeland Security, and a $15 million state- of-the-art research institute that focuses on sensitive problems of national security. This past September, the university signed a $20 million cooperation agreement with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to continue conducting critical defense research. Mr. Speaker, Northeastern's unique military-aligned ecosystem provides veterans with more opportunities to explore different career paths, to learn how to better translate skills for the civilian job market, and to build relationships among the community. I commend Northeastern, under the visionary leadership of President Joseph Aoun, for undertaking this important work. Northeastern's attention to veteran education and transitional needs is deeply appreciated. I urge all of my colleagues to take the time to review this important effort.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 158, a bill that would improve the Visa Waiver Program and ensure better information sharing among intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This is separate from the Republican proposal introduced last week that would have effectively halted refugee resettlement. Refugees already undergo the most stringent screening process of any individual entering the United States, with an extensive series of background checks. Refugees are victims, not perpetrators of terrorism. Categorically refusing to take them only feeds the narrative of ISIS. In contrast, H.R. 158 strengthens the screening of travelers who qualify for the Visa Waiver Program by increasing intelligence and law enforcement cooperation and by making it harder for extremists to falsify their identities and enter our borders. Rather than betraying our timeless American values by scapegoating refugees, which only plays into ISIS' hands, we should focus on addressing real vulnerabilities to our homeland security. I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 158.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of General John Rogers Galvin, who died on September 25 of this year at the age of 86. Born in Wakefield, Massachusetts, General Galvin committed his life and career to defending and serving our country. As a child, he created the Pleasant Street Army to protect his neighborhood during World War II, served four years as an enlisted soldier in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1954, and served two tours in Vietnam as a brigade operations officer and battalion commander. General Galvin's forty-four year military career culminated in his service as the Supreme Allied Commander in Chief of U.S. European Command and NATO Commander in 1987 during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. During his tenure, General Galvin confronted the breakup of Yugoslavia, provided vital protection to Kurds in northern Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein, and transitioned NATO's military strategy from large-scale containment to small-conflict peacekeeping and counterinsurgency. Following his retirement from the military, General Galvin transitioned to academia, serving as the sixth dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University from 1995 to 2000. He was considered a mentor to many of our country's leading national security and military experts, including a personal mentor of mine, General David Petraeus. General Galvin liked to say the word ``impossible'' does not exist and often advised, ``it doesn't do any good to study all the books on leadership if you haven't studied yourself and know who you are.'' I join the Wakefield community in recognizing General Galvin's achievements that will continue to inspire the next generation of leaders. His legacy lives on through his wife Virginia, his four daughters, and five grandchildren.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Madam Speaker, I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. MOULTON. Madam Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will proceed immediately to final passage as amended. We all agree that the men and women who serve in our Nation's military should be afforded every opportunity to live the American Dream that they risked their lives to defend. Unfortunately, too often our servicemembers, veterans, and their families fall victim to unfair and abusive financial practices. In 2014 alone, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau received more than 17,000 complaints from servicemembers, veterans, and their families on a variety of issues, from deceptive subprime auto lending to troublesome credit card fees and predatory mortgage loans. That same year, the CFPB was able to return more than $1.6 million to these families. The CFPB is a vital watchdog for American consumers. The bill before us today would delay the enforcement of the CFPB's rule regarding disclosures that mortgage lenders must provide to home buyers. Additionally, the bill would permanently eliminate a borrower's ability to enforce his or her legal rights if a lender fails to disclose or obscures important information for all loans originated over the next 5 months so long as the error is made ``in good faith,'' a term that the bill does not define and that substantially narrows existing protections for consumers afforded under the Truth in Lending Act. The mortgage industry has had nearly 2 years to implement these new disclosure requirements and was given an additional grace period this year. Despite assurances from the CFPB Director that the agency would implement a restrained enforcement process that takes into account the industry's good faith effort to comply, this legislation could leave millions of American home buyers without the legal protections to which all citizens are entitled. The amendment I am offering today would allow our servicemembers, veterans, seniors, and students--some of our Nation's most vulnerable populations--with the opportunity to seek their day in court if a mortgage lender acts in bad faith. As we learned following the 2008 financial crisis, far too often the people with the fewest resources pay the heaviest price when they are deceived by bad actors in the financial marketplace. While reasonable people can disagree on the merits of the underlying bill, I hope we can all agree that our servicemembers, veterans, students, and seniors deserve the consumer financial protections the CFPB offers. That is what this amendment would help to achieve, and I urge your support. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOULTON. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. MOULTON. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to ask a simple question of those who oppose the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Can you show me a viable alternative to this agreement that will lead to tougher international sanctions on Iran and prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon? Scholars and diplomats, including President Bush's Iran negotiator, Ambassador Nicholas Burns, have stated before Members of this very body that there is no way we will be able to keep Russia, China, and India in the sanctions regime if we reject this agreement. We tried secondary sanctions in 1996, and they failed. Our European allies have made it clear that, should the United States reject this agreement, we are on our own. Despite these facts, it baffles me that some of my colleagues have concluded that, by rejecting this agreement, we can somehow get a better deal with less leverage. No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated among adversaries, but the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option we have on the table today. This agreement puts the United States in a better position to confront the Iranian regime's threat to world peace.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Velazquez for yielding. Mr. Speaker, we often say that small businesses are the engine of economic growth. That is true; and if you look at the data, new businesses--those younger than 5 years old--created nearly all of our economy's new jobs in the past two decades. In order to create the conditions for job creation, the Federal Government must increase access to capital so new entrepreneurs with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business. The Small Business Administration's microloan program fills a critical gap in the capital markets, helping underserved businesses that are too small for the banking sector yet too big to finance with a credit card or loans from friends and family. The program has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in financing and technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs, but the program is in need of reform. That is why I introduced H.R. 2670, the Microloan Modernization Act of 2015, which will make a number of targeted improvements to the program so more borrowers can benefit from access to capital. First, the bill increases the loan limit cap for intermediary lenders. Many successful intermediaries have hit the current $5 million cap and, as a result, deserving small businesses are denied capital through no fault of their own. Second, the bill extends the loan repayment period for loans greater than $10,000. This small change will provide borrowers with the flexibility to better manage cash flow, improve operations, and create more jobs. Third, the bill permits lines of credit, which are currently prohibited by the SBA. Not all businesses need a fixed-rate term loan. Sometimes a more flexible line of credit is the better product for a small business that has cyclic or uneven cash flow. Fourth, the bill creates a waiver for an overly rigid technical assistance formula known as the 25/75 rule to help intermediaries deploy technical assistance more efficiently. Lastly, the bill commissions two studies to explore ways to incentivize intermediaries to participate in the microloan program and determine if mandatory savings accounts would benefit entrepreneurs. The microloan program supported nearly 4,000 small businesses just last year, and two of these successful businesses are located in Lynn, Massachusetts, in my district. Prism Products, an industrial distributor, received a microloan from the SBA to purchase extra inventory. As a result of the loan, owner Lisa Fitzpatrick was able to increase revenue and hire a sales professional with 15 years of experience. In 2013, local restaurateurs Shawn and Noyan Edmond fulfilled their lifelong dream of opening a Caribbean restaurant in downtown Lynn. The microloan enabled the Edmonds to purchase new kitchen equipment and make renovations to the storefront of Rite Spice Caribbean. As our economy recovers from the recession, we need more people like the Edmonds and Lisa Fitzpatrick to take a risk and start a business, and we need the SBA microloan program to help them. That is why the Microloan Modernization Act of 2015 is so critical. In closing, I would like to thank my ranking member, Nydia Velazquez, for her work on this bill; my chairman, Steve Chabot; and my colleagues, Representatives Curbelo, Chu, Takai, and Radewagen, for cosponsoring this bill. I urge my colleagues to support America's newest entrepreneurs and vote ``yes'' on this important legislation.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I will vote in favor of H.R. 160, legislation to repeal the onerous medical device tax, when it comes before the House today. I have always said that I strongly support the repeal of this tax on Massachusetts' growing medical device industry, especially because the tax disproportionally affects small- and medium- sized medical device manufacturers that don't have the compliance resources of larger companies. I also believe we must responsibly pay for the repeal of the tax. In light of our nation's growing national debt, I am hopeful that voting in favor of H.R. 160 sends a message to the Senate and the President that we must repeal this tax and pay for it in a responsible way.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, recently, the Office of Personnel Management disclosed a massive security breach that may have exposed personal information of millions of current and former Federal employees, including those who work in sensitive national security positions. Simply put, this cyber breach is unacceptable and breaks faith with those dedicated military and civilian personnel who commit their lives to keeping our country safe. Although responsibility has not yet been officially confirmed, many observers believe that individuals in China, who may have been acting on orders of the Chinese Government, were responsible for hacking into OPM databases. Two things are clear, Mr. Chairman. First, we must ensure this does not happen again; we must protect our Federal employees--our foreign service officers, State Department staff, members of the intelligence community, and many others. Second, we must make clear to the rest of the world that these attacks will not be tolerated and that there will be consequences. Mr. Chairman, that is why my amendment takes the first of many critical steps to respond to this breach. My amendment starts the process of holding OPM accountable. It makes sure we leverage the best data security practices that our intelligence agencies use to protect sensitive personal information about our military and civilian personnel who work day in and day out to keep our country safe. Finally, my amendment ensures that the United States Congress can play a constructive role in developing a meaningful, forceful response to cyber attacks--especially attacks aimed at our Nation's security. We must stop these attacks and protect those who commit their lives to our safety. This amendment is an important first step in doing just that. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, today I come to the floor of the House with a heavy heart. This past weekend, the city of Lynn lost a dedicated public servant, a tireless local volunteer, and an inspiring advocate for the people of our community. Domenic D'Ambrosio, known by many as Dom, was loved by many for his uncanny ability to connect with people. Whether they were old friends or someone he was meeting for the first time, Dom's compassion for others was contagious, encouraging all of us to be better members of our community. At a time when public opinion of Congress is at an all-time low, Dom's belief in this institution and the power of the democratic process could not have been stronger. I thank him for bringing a reinvigorating energy to our Nation's political dialogue and for reminding us why we are so fortunate to have a free and democratic government, and why we should all take part in making it better. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kelly, his family, and friends. The Sixth District of Massachusetts lost a true champion, but I know that his legacy will live on through our shared commitment to public service. Dom, you will be missed.

Mr. MOULTON

Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.